Futuredrama

I've been coming to grips with the fact that I live 14 to 16 hours in the future from those of you in the USA ( 8 pm there is 12 noon tomorrow for us). Frankly, it feels very Star Trek-esque to call people in the past from somewhere in the near future ( sorry about the election. I couldn't bear to break the bad news to you over the phone).

Recently, however, as we stepped out of a train station, we found that we'd somehow warped ahead in time nearly 2 months -


Yes, it's Christmas here in Nippon. And it feels like it too. All the shops in the train stations are selling Christmas gifts, and fruit and candy baskets, and there are posters for Christmas meals and musicals. 


People seem infatuated, nay, obsessed with the season, but not necessarily the day. For the next 45 days people will be ho-ho-ho-ing with much mistletoe-ing, but on the big day itself? It's cubicle work as usual. Sounds like a trumpet call for industrial strength caroling and live Nativity scenes this year ( "Lisa, where did you put my Joseph kimono?")... 

JAPAN FOR JESUS!!!

Please continue to pray for open doors and key contacts.

Merry Christmas, and God bless us, every one!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wilderness Pioneering

Image
Still room for one, THEN it's us 4 and no more... One of the great things about taking over the pastorate of a church is, that there are usually at least some people, and often there's a building and even some sort of equipment. You jump right in there and preach that very same Sunday night! And once you convince the faithful ones that you personally didn't chase off the previous pastor  (St. Perfectus the Kind), it's Kingdom business as usual! Now, if rather than taking over a work, you are pioneering, then you can often count on nearby (or relatively nearby) Fellowship churches to roll up their sleeves and till the soil with you. Garage-band disciples with their own bootleg CDs will rap, rasp, or rock-out until the first row (meaning you, your wife and your 4 kids) is deaf and covered with saliva. And since breaking up that fallow ground can work up quite an appetite, the flockless pastor will at least count on one last supper with the impact team at Lydia Pu
Read more

His plans, His ways... are HIGHER

Image
It was barely over a year ago that I received an email -  A Happy New year! My name is Hiro. I am a member of Victory Chapel Saipan. I have a Father who lives in Sagamihara City who wishes to visit the church. But he is a very strong Atheist. I have been talking about Jesus to him, and I am very happy that he became interested. But I am sure his interest is still Christianity as Philosophy. I really want him to be saved but I am so worried that he might not be accepted by your church. And I know it will take a time for him to be saved. Pastor. Is it possible for my father to visit your church?  Thank you very much. I pray that my parents will be saved soon. Respectfully Yours, Hiro  Some of you are familiar with the story of Hiro's father ("Mr. N"). About a week later I met with Hiro's dad, and we began what has now become a year-long journey together, exploring the Word of God. So just this past November, Hiro got in touch with me again. Between his w
Read more

Mr N comes to see Jesus by night

Image
Maybe you know what I'm talking about: You're preaching, or sharing your testimony. Time is standing still. Or rather - somewhere between the ticks of the clock, you've shifted sideways into eternity. The air is different. If this were a movie, the music has transitioned into something stirringly intense. I don't have the words to explain it clearly. I've felt this before (I've felt this many times before, but this is the first time I've remembered it). All of a sudden, you KNOW. You know that what's about to happen - is eternal. Oh, I've talked to people, and witnessed to people, and had people repeat a prayer with me. But sometimes, just sometimes, something happens, and it's like, they're not even hearing YOU. Like when, in The Cross and the Switchblade, everybody becomes deathly quiet, and the Mau Maus start taking off their hats. Your voice sounds like it's coming from another room, and the presence of God is SO stro
Read more